A Stand on Love
by Lunar Knite
Summary: A prologue. When Keitaro realizes he isn't in his own room, he wonders what exactly happened. Answers usually don't come easy for the hapless dorm manager, but Keitaro might never figure this one out.


**Disclaimer:** Love Hina and its characters do not belong to me, but to the great Ken Akamatsu.

**Author's Notes: **Well, back into this rabbit hole I fall. It's been a long time since I wrote prose (being more of a poetry guy), and even longer since I've written a fan fiction. But this is what got me to writing in the first place and things love coming full circle. So anyway, enough of my ramblings, sit back, relax, and enjoy the read.

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><p><em>A Stand on Love<em>

Prologue

Eyelids fluttered as his senses were reeling from the lights above him. Like a butterfly they kept flitting until at last his eyes adjusted. It was then he realized that it was not the natural light of the sun that momentarily blinded him, but fluorescent bulbs in a room not his own.

His mind, still groggy from just awakening, could yet form coherent thoughts. He turned his head from the light, once to his right where an opened door lay before a quiet hallway and to his left where drawn curtains framed a star-ridden sky. He stared into the night for an indeterminate amount of time catching a glimpse of the moon before clouds had blocked that area of the sky.

Although his sight was back, despite his lack of corrective eye-wear at the moment, he felt numb. Numb to the point of being able to take a sword strike or a punch without feeling it. At that thought he was able to decipher the mist that had been plaguing his mind since he awoke. "Narusegawa...," the name creaked out of his throat, a door that had not been used for some time and without proper lubrication.

Coughs erupted from his body shaking him. When his fit subsided, the fog had come back to cloud his thoughts. He still felt numb as if the haze that kept his mind from thinking also kept his body from feeling. He refocused on the outside world, suspicious of the shadows that threatened to breach the room. Just branches swaying to the wind, nevertheless, he shivered at the image, cold beads of sweat forming upon his forehead.

Unable to take the night's sudden transformation, he turned his attention towards the open door. It was then he noticed a sparse number of people walking through his line of sight every few minutes. What stood out were their garbs. "I'm…in a… hospital?" His voice cracked again, but it did not hurt so much as before. Just then, a nurse came into the room, and while he was still shocked at his own revelation, he tightly closed his eyes in a ruse of sleep.

A few moments passed before he dared open his eyes again. He was not yet ready for human interaction, having barely enough to muster consciousness around himself. The nurse had slipped out already, the only change being the room was now dark, although lights streamed in from the hallway. He heard a whimper. It took a second before he realized it came from his own throat.

He was afraid. He was alone. All he wanted to do was curl up into a little ball until sunrise melted away the long shadows. It was strange he could feel such emotional discomfort even though his body was still numb. He moved his hand, brushing against the cloth that covered him. He had feeling in his hand; he felt the hospital sheet. He clenched one hand, and then the other, reveling in the blood that flowed within.

He shifted upwards in his bed, wanting to prop himself up. He couldn't be bothered to know what button made the bed rise but it was easier than he thought, as he pushed himself up at a slight incline. The light from the hallway was able to reach to his bed, he noticed, and he followed its path to where his legs lay. His breathing quickened.

He rubbed his eyes with an arm, regretting his need for glasses. He thought he saw no shadows but the tiny valleys made by the sheet that concealed his legs. Two lumps underneath the covers should have been noticeable. Sweat formed over his body as his breaths became quicker and shallower.

He removed his arm and stared at the space illuminated by the glow from the hall. "Maybe…I'm dreaming?" he croaked to himself. A small pain traveled through his hand as he pinched the skin. It was a hallucination he supposed.

He tried to wriggle his toes, but assumed the lower half of his body was still too numb. He looked underneath the covers and saw nothing but air where his legs should have been. They were gone. And so was his consciousness as he slumped over in full shocking belief.

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><p><strong>AN:** Yeah. It's short. It's also a prologue. Hope it piqued your interest. If it did or didn't, please, leave a note, flame, critique, or comment. Thanks for reading and until next time, LK out.


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